Reincarnated as a Duck: A beast progression litrpg isekai-Chapter 249: Godly emotions

Levandis was stronger than her chaotic competitor on this continent, which allowed her to acquire noble, Rank 1 status. In essence, it was about glory, conditions, and utter domination. That and becoming an owner of Hell also helped, obviously.

But they also knew it was much more than that. Hells were hellish but described by stories of the Old World. In the Sky, it was a separate matter, while the Surface dwelled between both like little animals smushed against unfeasable monsters.

Well, Levandis had her reputation and various other means to gouge strength, strategy, awareness, and giving her position a very special meaning. Not just anyone can maintain it within the myriad of Pantheons, where everyone hoped to go higher.

Like many, she had opposition. Everyone wanted to eat, but the food was limited.

Levandis accumulated enough power to crush opposition and has maintained the status quo ever since. And she wasn't even one of those Gods who came to this planet when it was a barren wasteland without Gods or any former significance.

Those that came first were the current masterminds of this planet, with few being gone, either traveling away to seek something else, or they were dead, unable to get further, or unable to remain as is. They became food for this world.

Hence, those under Levandis still had to listen to her from time to time, yet it wasn't worth much when everyone was thinking for themselves. That wasn't even an unspoken law; it was just how it always worked in Hells, long before this planet spun on its axis or Gods lived on it, below or above.

Her subjects were hers, but they were also themselves, thus subjected to their own desires and awareness that could change or morph for her or not. All of that was fair. Not every fool should follow her because they wanted it. They could also die for this burning passion or their desires.

Lorry couldn't say why she was angry at him. Why? What for? He would cheer to punish himself if he knew. Perhaps he was asking for far too much, or he wasn't asking anything. Levandis was most likely aware of it as well, as she had known Lorry for a very long time.

“I am bothered... excessively,” she continued speaking, clutching him with one hand while the other hand leaned on her cheek, her elbow resting on the pillow. “The way the things feel and go around me as if I am the wind seems as if I am nothing. Am I a wind, or am I just not fit for this position beseeched upon me? Should it be... proper, or valid to be this... angry? I am wrong, you see. Or am I?”

Lorry shook his head, but it wasn't working when she clasped the single skull of his flesh without giving him any space.

“Am I too ugly?” she asked again, appearing like a philosopher who aimed a skull towards the sky.

This time, Lorry furiously tried to shake his head, wishing that his intentions would be read by her or by the swirling mash of fog in the ceiling.

“Is it something wrong... with me? That I can't be trusted or accepted by them? I don't demand much, you see,” Levandis scowled, appearing hurt and hardly collected. She leaned even more back, her hair nearly disappeared into the pillow like her head.

“B-bothered...” Lorry mumbled, fluster obvious on his bony face as her face disappeared from his Soul Flames. Emotions were barely notable in such a body, though his sole possession of some clarity was the work of his jaw that was movable, while his bones or teeth made a small difference.

A lot of it was a work of his Soul Flames. As for some smiles or frowns, they wouldn't work without his Soul Flames, which could shape his emotions, but not everyone would notice such details.

His eyes would swirl or glow depending on his state of mind, or change shape depending on what he wanted to be like, or what could not change. He mastered some part of it long ago, yet not before his Lady and others.

Since the start of this summon, he was naked before her.

“Yes!” Levandis sharpened her look suddenly, shaking Lorry in her single-handed grasp, and forced him closer to her head. “I am bothered. Why would I not be like a flame when others take me for a candle? I don't like being taken advantage of under any circumstances, yet here she goes, pushing and not thinking twice over what place she invades or what she does. It's unsightly, wrong, and arrogance beyond us. Don't you agree, Lorry?”

She sighed and talked as if all her previous scowls hadn't happened.

Lorry wanted to speak, but she talked wantonly without awaiting or trying to appease her frustration. In some sense, no answers were better answers. The outlet didn't matter, and her mind had a ton of things to tell regardless of skulls or bones.

“There are so many useless things along with this mess that I thought were just a joke. I was wrong back then, so I acknowledge that sin. Now, it turned from a weird occurrence into something that changed this world, my home, and I feel like my lungs are crushing me.”

“Lordis thinks he sees through everything, yet he is one of the most insane troublemakers of them all and shall pay for sins, crimes, or justice that cannot be forgotten. Nay! It can be omitted or forced. That fucker only knows what is good for him and his shaming Sky, while what goes or hides away is what?!”

“Down below! Fucker. He can't touch anything, and up beyond, he shouldn't have a single wit to mind it. But he does?! How? He will get burned. There are many who looks at his positions and acts, as this world is...well, it is special, right, Lorry? Should we cry about it like the Old World? Hell no.” She cursed the Ruler, clutching Lorry's skull with a bit more force.

He enjoyed it, but he still showed some distress to appease her mind, feeling a couple of cracks around his temple and feeling he was helping her even if he was unable to do so.

Then, Levandis began to shake him some more, speaking as if he were a priest hearing a mistrusted sinner, friend, subject, and thief. She had no qualms about what to tell or not; she had no need for many common regards before her most precious subjects, but who was Lorry, if not that?

Lorry took all of her frustration to his skull and, from time to time, told her what she had to hear even if it hurt him in the process. Always offering advice or encouragement was his job. Mindarch couldn't do it very well since that thing was not fine with that kind of empathy.

It ended up giving both of them what they wanted, yet Levandis would never hurt him too much, lest the true regret arrive. She could often gain some lies or superficial answers she did not need to hear, yet they were and could be very beneficial.

“They know nothing good!” Levandis cried and wished to throw another tantrum. As a God, doing so usually carried very difficult consequences for those around her, so she usually ended up voicing her tantrums instead. She couldn't just shove herself into the Void or Chaos Space and relieve herself there. It was neither good for these places nor her needs.

But it was a possibility that sometimes happened, for this world shouldn't feel her wrath, but it always could because it could not stop her. It wasn't about possibility.

It was an inevitability and one way to destroy this world if all Gods were like that. They weren't, which was good. Their subjects kept them in check while the horror of politics and schemes of power did the rest.

“I swear, my Lady,” Lorry spoke calmly, feeling as if he was a devil beside her shoulder, but he was one before her face instead. “They knew, or they might not know what is good for them. Gods, I mean, are wrong. This isn't all about them also. It is no one's fault. Not yours. Everything happens for reasons known by no Fate. Everyone clutches it the same. Such is life. Such is death. Some look at it and don't fear it, but they should.”

“You dare to speak of Death to me?! To me, Lady of Thousand Graves?!”

“Why not? Died once, why not call it fair? Well, to be fair, this matter disregards Death completely. Almost.”

That was an argument that Levandis could not disregard, and she also knew what and why this was so obnoxious. She knew why she was this pissed off and what to do about it wasn't that hard.

“Then why do they pester me so much? Should I kill them? The ones that bother me. Is this the Way of Hell that some assholes thinks is mightier than Laws? I am not a native, I know, but some things and hints of the Endless Sky are conforming. I am thinking of giving it a try if that End can come. Vermillion. Old Ones. Lordis. What am I missing? Oh, now... her?!” Her face turned to one with confusion, though Lorry felt as if he was looking at the grim reaper. When she was like this, it felt dreadful, great, and one way to see a much bigger hell.

“I... don't think,” he said weakly, “that many options give many ways to lives or Paths. Think of the time. See a corner. Think of the pain inflicted by the rage. Consider the beyond. Boys. Girls.”

“Forget killing then,” she said; Lorry was half sure she didn't listen to him much, but that was typical of her when she was like this. She heard what she wanted. “What else would work for me and us... or everything? Some punishment could also work. I am a Ruler of these Gates, yet the issue isn't that, even if it came and I am... tossed in a corner like a little girl, blackmailed, ignored, and forced. Isn't that frustrating and unfilial of me, Lorry?”

“Rightfully so.” Lorry furiously nodded his Soul Flames. “Rules state the ways things should go and be, but among them, concessions, lies, and decisions come as prices. Gamble it away. Spend it. Forge it. One shouldn't turn, ignore, or outright change many sorts of things. One or a few are respectful. Miscalculating or forgetting what matters sounds like a much bigger disgrace, my Lady. If all things would turn and change, then... everything would alter and never return to how it once was. Others do it, we know. Endless Sky is vast. This word has an epochal history. Many would rejoice, and even more would try to escape, unaware that the heavens are watchful. We know. We fear. What is the worst lie? Option... Death. Choices.”

As Levandis listened to his every word for the first time in her grasp, something changed.

A light step echoed in this half-destroyed place where walls were missing large chunks. Not much mess or debris was around, apart from some collapsed walls that lacked support and proper weight. Pillars were missing chunks of their weights as if someone had bit into them.

“Oh, we have another little visitor. How unexpected but extremely welcome,” Levandis perked up and straightened her posture by leaning forward, looking at the approaching figure that was rather obvious thanks to lacking decor and things along the way.

Lorry wasn't sure who had come; he was facing her chest when she leaned forward, so he couldn't complain, think, or speak sense into her soul.

By all means, it was a good thing that another being had entered this hall because Levandis had kept rushing her heart, fury, and emotions out for the past hours. The end was nowhere in sight. Stopping the crackling of the Lorry's skull, it was Manager Kil who walked with his tiny steps forward.

He walked for quite some time before reaching her Lady. Kneeling, he inquired about her call, knowing that he had far too much work right now, but he knew this was important to solve as well.

Perhaps it was the most crucial problem in hand since this must be about the calamitous Will. Out of all the Overlords, very few knew the bounds of this situation, and many questioned why it even arrived and ended up like this.

It felt as if it was a guest, coming unprompted, angry for one big and obvious reason, and it even disregarded their Death Valley and matters of Gates and pride, thus angering many Gods and Overlords under Levandis.

Alas, she didn't give a shit about that and had plenty of issues on her plate even without it. So for it to happen, she had to judge it with others.

“What have you summoned me for, my Lady? I am busy for the time being, no longer crawling or sensing the pressure of the Codex. It is no longer optimal, which is good. Or... cursed regardless,” he pled on his knees, yet his face was facing his Lady, rather than the floor.

He felt and knew that many things were wrong and disastrous. No one wanted to see her in any distress, let alone in unhinged Hunger or worse. Unfortunately, not everything could occur how one desired.

And all because of some Will carrying a couple of words across the seas of different problems, everything turned into one hell of a shit. Perhaps even Skies got their fair share of frights, or... Lordis did.

After all, this must've become very disastrous, and the cause was not within everyone's eyes. Of course, some beings knew of hints and knowledge. In this room, there were a couple of them.

It will cost a fortune to repair, Manager Kil felt.

Levandis smiled, glad to see another "devil" over her other shoulder. “You... You both,” she shouted and swung her other arm forward. As she gestured, air twisted and space trembled, allowing it to change. Before Kil even knew it, he was in her left hand, clutched like a toy and unable to move.

Levandis was still leaning forward, handling both little beings close enough so they felt her breath and breasts. Well, one was better at it than the other, but one would complain about it for sure, while the other just shook and felt very awkward. Their sense of duty and life were like polar opposites, though their dedication was not.

The one with a conscience was the problematic one. Her right hand held Lorry and her left held smaller-looking Kil, who was a bit agitated by this sudden clutch, if not a bit furious because of lacking time and effort. Sure, he was busy and part of something bigger, but even her Lady should know how crucial this time had become.

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She wasn't usually this...well, he saw some fault in himself and her, and there was nothing helpful at complicating it further. Anyone could've fortified the defenses of this temple, he or she, yet what would that do to that Will? It wasn't usually fine to think of defending against that sort of attention.

In fact, who or what would be willing to argue about that sort of thing? Perhaps only Gods or someone aware of the great rivalries, insanities, and oddities brewing and living on this planet.

That was something Manager Kil thought about ever since the vast arrays of defenses around the temple crumbled in seconds, and many Ultra Gems bore the hatred of wars, bloodlines, and one peculiar wrath.

For now, his distress held different reasons than Lorry, who glanced aside from him, laughing at the one who shared his great fate. He expected someone else if he was honest with himself.

There was another Guide lurking around this insane time. Lint might have been a satisfactory alternative. That half skeleton was as good with his mouth as him, Lorry believed.

“So, my two little subjects,” Levandis restarted her speech after calming down and finding Manager Kil's presence as one part of what she lacked.

His voice was enough to change her mind many times over, as she wasn't paying attention to the happenings of her temple after recognizing all of her internal and external problems. It was painful. Her pride got hurt, and almost like a girl met with a minor problem, throwing a fit was one way of rejoicing.

With how the world was like, her sights were on different things than Hunt in Hellscape, even if it involved all of it or perhaps more than anyone could judge.

“You two messed up things badly enough, but one more than the rest. Who, I wonder. Who is willing to appease this Lady? Am I a God, or am I a fraud?”

“M-my Lady!” Manager Kil scowled, fearfully accepting the embrace of her fingers, and hoped for no reprisal. He was small, so her whole arm was enough to clutch him whole, yet he wasn't glad or fearful anymore.

Only his head was visible, so some awkwardness in this interaction was acceptable, like him hugging her fingers. “I am at fault for this blunder. Have my head as an apology. I deserve the finest punishment. I swear!” he continued pleading, yet Levandis wasn't having much thought about having his head because she could have it alive, speaking, and working for her cause. What more could she ask for? Deaths were so easy to obtain nowadays.

Finding a replacement for this sort of being would cost precious time. The kind that she could no longer afford, or one that might no longer exist.

She wasn't looking for punishment but for a means to understand this whole incident. There were at least a dozen points that shot above her mind, or through her heart, squeezed and quenched, for this world and time could not take it. Some beings did instead, bidding for time. Waiting for the return. Frankly, it was good and acceptable. Not anymore.

It was the start of a craze, considering Levandis was the one who knew far too well what just transpired in and over her temple, yet why and how it went in detail, she had fewer ideas.

She had yet to summon Mindarch, but that spirit was listening—always bidding and waiting.

“No!” Lorry shouted, cluttering his teeth against her fingers and unwilling to give Manager Kil this pride. It's a shame he had no tongue. “I deserve all the blame for this incident. That Child is at fault! I am his part. Me alone! I knew it all along and we ought to remember what transpired and goes within these lands and Gates. It is no sin. It is a time. A disastrous precaution.” He pled for his punishment, forgetting the fact that nothing was his fault whatsoever.

Even his usual speech was gone, no longer hiding behind a farce of a Guide. Before his Lady, he was always different from a silly Guide with a single glorious skull.

Levandis heard their jokes with apathy and unblinking eyes; her demeanor hadn't changed, her face was close, and options were flaring within her. First things had to come between the lies because she realized her anger quickly dissipated after both of them arrived.

After all, what had she lost, gained, and knew? There must be harmony and pride in knowledge. She was lacking in both while losses were where exactly?

Adapt. Overcome. Get over this silly time, for it will pass on.

Remembering the dutiful, full voice, Levandis calmed down. It wasn't as if this was worth some tantrum, apart from the fact that it happened. That alone was harmful, and anyone would recognize it.

Her gaze was upon Manager Kil, the caretaker of her whole temple and quite a big part of Mindarch's workings and numerous contracts.

“Kil,” she whispered, speaking with a hefty amount of apathy that would obliterate lonely souls without owners or shells. Her face didn't move a muscle, apart from her crimson and puffy lips. Manager Kil saw her eyes and her face and pretty much felt her weight and emotional distress over one singular realization.

“WE realized something new.” Lorry suddenly said.

“No. It isn't something new or good. We wouldn't know much of it if it weren't for some things.” Kil continued. “M'Lady...” He said, firmly decided that whatever Fate was before him, he shall take it without any stuttering. “Whatever it is that is a problem, there are always ways to think around it. You are prideful, yet...unaware of something.”

“Oh, shush..” Levandis kicked the floor and jumped further into the soft throne, burying herself in and carrying her two subjects with her. Her arms were above her, so she looked at them from below, eyeing the ceiling as well.

“Tell me some solution to the current problems. All three of you.” She demanded without being very specific. She just wanted to talk because she knew she could not know everything. And they clearly knew something essential. Something that might create the biggest variable, one might say.

Manager Kil knew at least a dozen problems off the top of his head, following predicaments she indicated and not feared, yet was that it? For him, that calamitous Will was secondary. The cause was almost anticipated, though not in the Ip'ur Mountain, or... for her Lady.

“Solutions to numerous problems... are also numerous” Manager Kil told the truth. “I would suspect the problems of the truth lay in how everything happened for many reasons, and where it all started, again? The Sky Gods? Beyond? What about something very old but familiar?” His words were cut short by a tight grip.

Levandis groaned upon hearing the word Sky. These meddlers were a never-ending source of trouble for her, but a lot of Hell owners got over it, while many Hell Gods did not. Unlike the things she held deep in her heart, Sky would not fix and help with anything.

She wasn't here to crash the Sky either. It would be a useless effort because the balance and this world were brittle. One wrong move and everything could crumble. It wasn't worth it, frankly. There was no war worth some price and effort.

Yet, when others thought of wars as unavoidable, she might accept how it could happen, regardless of her willingness. She was aware how this world worked, or how the Endless Sky always took words for Laws.

Then, things mangled into some tangible lines like knots of heart. Cultures speak of it. Epochs whispered of times and gave thoughts about how history often repeated itself.

“Mindarch, if you may,” Manager Kil said, “show her my research over the reasons and what we left out. It is time to change it like we decided a while ago. It is about that one. The one who waits. Who has come.”

The fog above swirled into motion, becoming a ghostly face above Levandis, appearing kind of reluctant and obviously not ready for this discussion. But it already involved problems, so why not add another one?

[I say this is not a good time for that opportunity, little Kil. It might drown us. Kill us.]

“Bah. Nothing important.” Kill sneered and wished to wince his hand rather than roll his eyes alone.

“Are you denying me knowing what I should know?” Levandis said coldly.

[Yeah, sure I am. Who else would do that when you are acting like a brat? Someone wouldn't be proud. Dear Goddess, this situation is crazy enough, yet you act like a child. As a Ruler of Hell, you are sometimes far too careless and unaware of what goes over your head. So yes, I am proud... Odd, that is.]

Levandis, contrary to the shock and fear of those in her grasp, appeared unaffected by Mindarch's snarky comments. “World is part of playful words Gods are naughty with. Most are not good at it at all. Why? Words do gain wisdom, acts start with them, or End them, while the problems and desires are what? Enlighten me.”

[Useless chatter when you are angry like this is for nothing. Is this really about the Mother you felt and...f]

Levandis jolted her hair, hissing, and part of Mindarch fog disappeared to nowhere just to reshape back together a distance away.

[That won't work...] Mindarch said as his fog returned into a smile. [I could've calmed you any day, you see. Say it all out of no fear. Why? Because you are being petty and downright ridiculous. Do you know what I hate about petty Gods, Levandis? How the time changes, yet some things never change. That's one way to die off and disappear into obscurity. You don't mind this. You can't.]

“Why are you like this?” She demanded. “Is this something so shocking when you act like idiots? What do you know? Well, you know nothing about my heart, that's for certain.” Levandis flinched her hair down and ignored the look of those in her palms.

[You would be surprised how well-versed I am in reading Fate myself, or others, or... you. It has been my Bliss for so many cycles, and whilst I am not Ravine, I am more like his little brother who never was. Senseless, sure. Not really a part of something obnoxious like setting this world into a new era because some Gods wanted to do some silly experiments when they came over and saw a barren world.]

“Whatever. Skip this useless chatter. My whole temple is in shambles because of that Mother. What is the cause, again? Your rush nothing but know my wits.”

“M-Mindarch... please.” Manager Kil stuttered. “Not be too specific, or... it might be a disaster.”

Mindarch looked as if he sighted and charged his workings to form a bunch of images on screens.

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[I don't suppose it is correct. Disaster is already here, more is coming, and more is always around, waiting. The moment they arrived at this home of mine, gears moved. There is no longer another option. You realized it far too late, ignorant, but in no way wrong. Things moved far above our eyes. Mine included.]

The images showed Murai and Lisa. Those two alone took the front, with Razmund behind them being almost unnoticeable, as he was a small variable Sky Gods employed.

Lisa was particularly enchanted and pretty once more; a tad bit overwhelmed touch on Mindarch's part. She took the center in this screening with a much bigger size, glow, and details.

Levandis angled her little subjects towards the ceiling for them to see, while she felt weird to see that ghostly lady once more, sided with that fool of an Old.

Lorry shuddered, knowing that faults were where faults existed, and there was no helping it anymore. He knew that Manager Kil and Mindarch were about to change this whole situation to something else, while he was a deep sinner. He couldn't stop them. He didn't dare to anymore.

“Well, if it ain't something...” Levandis sighed, figuring that Mindarch might give it more justice than the pair in her grasp. “Who that might be? The one that started it all?”

[Well, it would happen later or sooner, but she is someone that everyone knows. Her name is Lisa, Levandis.] Mindarch said so because it seemed those two in her grasp didn't want to convey the unspeakable, but he had no intentions of hiding the facts from the truth because he did not fear any consequences.

“Lisa?” Levandis furrowed her brows and pressed her lips together, thinking far too much about that name and ghost as she gazed at the picture. “Does she look familiar or the name does?

Should I be concerned or not? You showed her a couple of times to me already, yet I feel like something is hiding from me, but I can't realize it, or pick it on. Has it... always been around?”

“No...” Manger Kil looked resigned, similar to Lorry's Soul Flames, which almost stopped swirling.

[Mind you, this is just a contemporary image of hers; she had your Bloodline and something much more important. Remembrance. Your time. It seems you are missing something lost upon a time long lost in the past. You mentioned that to me once or twice, oh, God who once wasn't a God. This grazes on something large. Remember. See. Fear once more!]

At that moment, something hit Levandis right there in her most hidden feelings. She jolted for real this time, her hair flopped behind her, turning straight like paper. She stood on the pillows, her two subjects pressed to her chest as she hugged herself. She shivered in disbelief, pillows vanished, and her face changed in numerous emotions as she did as Mindarch started.

“She doesn't look alike!” She argued immediately and kicked one of the lone pillows away. “What the hell is this about, Mindarch? Don't fucking tell me about that, or joke with me. You... You don't dare... do you?”

[Certainly. Not every time, that is.] Mindarch said. [But it is certainly a fact that the little Lorry comprehended more than well.. and...well, here we go.]

As Mindarch expected, the short-lived Bliss that Lorry felt changed in a heartbeat. Levandis almost crashed his skull when she pulled him upwards from her chest to see his shameless eyes.

“Little asshole is unfilial and hiding secrets behind and straight before my face? How long do you think I've lived for? How long do you think YOU should live? How long have you known about her? Oh, I see. When have you planned to tell me about this? At a better time, that would once come, or never make a difference because you wanted it for yourself? Greedy one. You know how bad I am with faces, so you planned this with Mindarch and Kil out of spite or... what?”

Lorry remained silent because of his cracked skull and fearful Soul Flames skimming like motionless water. “No...” He whimpered.

[You certainly become impacted with this sort of face, Levandis. I feared it, but watching you... I suppose anger and emotion can turn back time, return, and clash. Good. I will see through it.] Mindarch argued, hoping to clear things up. He was right.

“I am terrible at seeing ghostly faces... and this... this!” She showed Lorry upward, nearing Lisa's enchanted body. “What is it about again? Who, hm?”

[Who knows that but you?]

“You don't?” Levandis demanded.

[Not really, actually. I am not as old as her, or... I am. It is a difficult but truthful fact that meander us together. I had a past master. You aren't bad, but... yes. You are terrible.]

“Why?”

“Because...” Manager Kil lost his voice when Mindarch knocked the main issue out of their minds.

[There are no readings about her whatsoever in anything that is known and feared. Why? You should know... You should.]

“Which means...”

[Ravine has no control over this, or she is... nothing, really. Who? What? Well, she looks like a Fairy, but is Wreight, I bet. Seen them before. Feared them more. I saw many things in my time, but part of it is skimming through others, rather than myself. Oh, and there is still the precarious issue of thievery and forging. I suspect... having a small link to Ravine comes with its perks. Now, however, is difficult.]

By now, Levandis shad tumbled from this reveal and was back on hugging her subjects. She pressed her lips even more, thinking over his words and taking that beauty ahead for a vigorous storm, which slowly mended into someone else. Memory overturned, tuning into a proper vision. She wondered what sort of validations it held, yet what it meant for her was a very distant matter.

[Do you want it written or spelled?] Mindarch joked around after realizing that she was taking it better than he expected.

“Rules. What of them?”

[If you mean Mindarch, that is that. We got hints on numerous topics, but that one is forged. I suspect even Lordis has been played, but that is questionable because what is sounding right but isn't right? A lot of it is correct. I deem it as forgery of Ravine himself, yet that one eclipses what we... know. I doubt that. For now, what matters is a seeming detachment over everything. I mean, the Old One is what?! Fuck's sake, this shit burns! Out of the rules and the world, she even drifts into this world and works around that Old One as if she knows what she is doing. I mean, she might, but she shouldn't do that. It reeks of problems.]

“Yet, she is a Life Companion, isn't that right? You said it in the Screening Room before. Oh, Kil showed some empathy back then, no? Is that... it? You are as guilty as little!”

Manager Kil nodded, hiding his blush in her breast.

[I did show stuff. And she is, frankly, what you see. How? Well, Life Companion can be anything, and Blessed goes where Blessed are. It stinks of a Breach, to be honest. Something pulled some strings, but am not sure what, why, but we can get some reasons out of our asses or minds. Which is good? What is better?]

“Everyone can be a Life Companion, yet Blessed and their workings in Ravine and everything in the Divine Camp is another thing. What does this mean? This... ghost of mine and... Oh, God! No.”

“I... planned for it to be a surprise.” Lorry lied. “Some time later, it would become a better time. Saying is one thing. Showing it off is another. Make a meeting or a simple errand. You would... do something. I would watch it. See a touching moment.”

She pinched his eye with her middle finger and turned him back to her face. She looked really pissed again: eyes squinted, cheeks flustered for some reason, and her smile widened in a madding and cheery smile.

“What was her name, again?” She demanded just in case because she couldn't see the reason on that screen, even if the memory and that screen tuned to what once was. It was not Mindarch. It was her doing. She saw Lisa's image numerous times in that room, yet it never hit her. Now, it did.

[Lisa Leruvien] Mindarch said. [Just a brunch but...not as if it's an important matter. Frankly, that name is as distant as your sense and sanity. I reckon she is not different, but she is spending time with that wretched being. Who knows what is about to happen?]